GOP: Why can't we mine for uranium in the Grand Canyon?

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has extended the moratorium on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon through the end of the year, and House Republicans are grumpy. I mean, there's uranium there … the hole is already mostly dug … it's basically a perfect mining opportunity! So they're sticking a rider onto an Interior Department appropriations bill that would open the land back up.

Salazar says he would prefer a 20-year moratorium on the mining, which could threaten not only the integrity of a national landmark but also water quality in the Colorado River, which provides drinking water to 25 million people. But he's waiting on the results of an environmental analysis. Republicans like Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake, who drafted the measure, aren't interested in this "analysis" bohonkey, though. It has the word "anal" in it, which sounds suspiciously gay! Better to just revoke the mining moratorium and get on with our jobs, where "our jobs" means "drilling for uranium near an iconic national symbol."

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